Since the mid-’90s, TONKA is known as an execptional artist amongst German DJs and producers. He is one of the few dance producers having managed to combine producing and remixing into a stable form of expression for an artistic identity. TONKA’s handwriting is distinctive, and with She Knows You, Don’t Be Afraid (To Let Yourself Go), and other tracks, he created timeless masterpieces ranking amongst the most beloved party tracks ever. In the last several years, his output was limited to vinyl-only releases on his labels Vivienne Records and Chip Tunes which he produced especially for the clubs.
TONKA returns with his debut album "84", better and more diverse than ever.
On 14 tracks floating in the borderland between pop and dance, TONKA is unfolding the whole spectrum of his creativity. His various influences range from powerful floor smashers to breakbeat excursions to the distinctive italo disco flair. Meanwhile, the album title "84" is directly referring to his roots: "1984 has been the year the music arrived which impressed and shaped me the most. Pieces like Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’, Madonna’s ‘Borderline’, electro and breakdance productions by Freeze (Arthur Baker) or Nucelus, up to the impressive Trevor Horn maxis for Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Art of Noise, or the german Propaganda’s ‘Dr. Mabuse’. I have always been fond of italo disco because I always regarded its sound to be very emotional and honest. In the end, I see my piano riffs as an evolution of italo disco and the subsequent italo house."
"84" manages to persuade with its clever song writing, skillfully combining different styles, weaving an audible homogenic and groovy thread. There are P-funk flavours on Keep Klimbing. And he put drum’n’bass on house pace on One. The Garden features a classic song structure while simultaneously working with cut-ups. Believe is playing with hip hop elements, Not Satisfied is moving towards Berlin’s ’80s trash on a little off-beat. And, of course, TONKA’s homage to the early italo disco sound, clearly showing through in the deliberately "cheesed up" Tasty and the cover version of VALERIE DORE’s 1984 classic The Night. Here, TONKA abandoned digital drum plug-ins completely, working with analogue e-drum pads and keyboards, transferring the listener to the ’80s by the end of the album.
Being a passionate vinyl and sound collector, TONKA has mastered the play with sounds and shapes. Which is the result of a long process: "In the early ’80s, I’ve started by listening to a lot of pop music. Then my sister introduced me to Grandmaster Flash’s hip hop. In the meantime, I got hold of my neighbors’ latest mix tapes, ranging from electro pop from the likes of Depeche Mode to EBM to chicago house. Through extensive ‘vinyl shopping’ along with my school mate Ian (Pooley) I’ve reached the Manchester rave sound my strong fondness for alternative rock is still based on."
In addition, it’s been a long time since TONKA took vocalists into his studio to add a whole new note to the tracks. Get Back, The Garden and Don’t Cry feature LARA McALLEN who is currently entering the UK Top 10 charts with Love Me Right. The Night has been given its charme by the voice of Britain’s new new discovery KERRY-ANN FAIRCHILD. The rap parts on Believe and One are by South London’s rapper WHITEMAN. Not Satisfied has been created in cooperation with Turntable Rocker THOMILLA. And work with KIM APPLEBY was one of the production’s heights. "I have known Kim for years now. And I’ve always been a big Mel & Kim fan, who, incidentally, had one of their biggest hits in the mid-’80s with their ‘Showing Out’. We wanted to do something together for a long time, and when Kim heard the demo version of Believe, she’s been hooked."
"84" is a TONKA album in it’s best way. It has the unique TONKA style, as well as the soft touch of melancholy woven into the harmony structure. In addition, it builds a stable bridge from pop songs to dance grooves, from euphoric party breakers to sensitive, heart-warming songs. "I felt the urge to go one step further", TONKA says. "In the clubs, you could go on like that forever. But I don’t see myself merely as a dance producer. I wanted to approach pop structures without neglecting the dance elements. In my opinion, good pop music satisfies the highest standards."
TONKA is known as being a perfectionist and a meticulous sound tinkerer, giving his tracks their time to evolve. He’s not one of those throwing sputteringly patched-up tracks at the crowd every few weeks. This characterizes him, and at the same time draws the line between a fast food producer and an artist. TONKA has been working on "84" for one and a half years in which he concentrated on little else. "It’s funny", he says, "There are many people who thought I’ve vanished, yet I’ve never worked as hard as within the last few months."
Creating a complete album has certainly been a challenge for TONKA. But it has also been an opportunity to cross frontiers and break down walls between various styles: "I think it’s sad that all the scenes are isolating themselves and people in the clubs are so focused on a certain sound. Using my album, I’d like to introduce those who know me as a house producer to a wider spectrum. I think this can be done in a unobtrusive way. And on ‘84′, everything comes together, moving from house to eurodance to hiphop."
As one of those who first-handedly experienced the birth of house, techno and breakbeat, TONKA is well in the position to create such an eclectic album as "84". From the beginning, his experience, profiency and talent opened the doors. His euphoric and diversified DJ sets gathered him a name all around the world. And, together with his friend Ian Pooley, he produced a whole lot of legendary records they released on the Frankfurt Force Inc. label: SPACE CUBE - "Kool Killer EP 1 - 3", or T’N’I - "Depart EP".
In 1997, he founded his own label Uplifting Records, which he abandoned in 2000 in favour of his current label Vivienne Records.
1998 then has become a keystone year. Security / The Night was his first Top 50 charts success. In the same year, She Knows You made #14. The following year has seen TONKA’s very first longplayer: The compilation of his most important productions and remixes, "Peaktime (in one go)", has been one of the highest selling house records in Germany. In April 2000, he topped it off with Don’t Be Afraid (To Let Yourself Go). And in 2001, he provided a little variety for the clubs with the old-school breakbeat-influenced Heartjumpa (Chip Tunes), as well as several releases on his label Vivienne Records.
The first single release is Get Back, which managed to make it up to #17 in the DDC on the Vivienne sales alone, long before the official sampling has started, now pushing it to #4. Get Back, the current ODC #1, is more than a promising prelude to the TONKA debut album "84"
Tonka - Dj Set at YOU FM Clubnight 10-03-2007 (Part 1)
Tonka - Dj Set at YOU FM Clubnight 10-03-2007 (Part 2)
Tonka - YOU FM Clubnight 20-09-2008
Tonka - Der Mix on Sputnik Radio 03-08-2008
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